Public-service announcement: There's fire and smoke at One Buc Place. I believe it's called a dumpster fire.
The Tampa Bay Bucs have gone up in flames, and are officially on the clock for 2018, for they are done with relevance in 2017.
Color everybody confused. These guys were a sexy Super Bowl pick just a few weeks ago. They got plenty of face-time on HBO's Hard Knocks. They upgraded their offense by signing wide receiver DeSean Jackson and drafting tight end O.J. Howard. They beefed up their defense by signing safety T.J. Ward, formerly of the Denver Broncos.
So where has it led them?
The Bucs are 2-6 after losing five consecutive games. On the flip side, the Jacksonville Jaguars are very much playoff relevant in the AFC. Who knew?
Bucs Coach Dirk Koetter is understandably upset, just like everybody else. "Frustrated, disappointed, confused _ the mood that you would expect from a team that had very high expectations and has lost five in a row," he said.
It's hard to explain what exactly has gone wrong with the Bucs because there are so many things. Quarterback Jameis Winston has been terribly inconsistent. And now he has a shoulder injury and is expected to miss multiple games.
The defense, especially the secondary, has been very spotty.
Jackson hasn't developed any chemistry with Winston.
Throw in bonus misery points because their top offensive threat, wide receiver Mike Evans, is suspended for Sunday's game against the New York Jets for instigating a fight during the game against the New Orleans Saints last weekend.
Evans retaliated because he thought Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore had taken a cheap shot at Winston. What he didn't know in that split-second is that Winston instigated the fight. He was on the sidelines after getting pulled because he re-aggravated the shoulder injury.
His day started badly as well, as Winston was caught on camera making a "W" with his fingers, putting them in front of his mouth and telling teammates, "That's a W. Let's eat one!"
Not a good look. And nobody ate anything, except humble pie. It's official now: The Tampa Bay Bucs are a tough act to swallow in 2017.
